Albendazole-Induced Liver Injury

Background: Albendazole is an anthelmintic drug used worldwide for prophylactic or curative treatment. Side effects include diarrhea, abdominal pain, elevated levels of hepatic transaminases, dizziness, neutropenia, and alopecia.

Areas of uncertainty: The main question of the systematic review is if albendazole administration can cause liver injury or liver failure.

Data sources: Two researchers conducted the search on PubMed and the key words used were: "albendazole," "anthelmintic," "drug-induced liver injury," and "acute hepatitis." Two new case reports were included in the systematic review.

Results: Literature search concluded in 10 cases listed on PubMed. Another 2 new case reports from our experience are included in the systematic review. Most common symptoms presented are jaundice, anorexia, and vomiting after the single-use of albendazole or long-term usage. All cases presented high levels of transaminases, with remission after stopping the administration of albendazole. The treatment with albendazole was mostly given for liver hydatid cysts or empirically.

Conclusions: Albendazole is a prescription-based drug used by most patients without medical advice, without knowing the risk of side effects. The anthelmintic drug may induce liver injury, even in small doses; in result, practitioners and patients should take this information in consideration.